Biometrics to track Indonesian lawmaker attendance

The House of Representatives in Jakarta, Indonesia has spent US$29,295 on the installation of biometric fingerprint scanners to track the attendance of lawmakers.

House Deputy Speaker Pramono Anung stated that Jakarta-based CV Galung Brothers would install the fingerprint scanners by the end of year.

The absence of lawmakers during hearings has been a major issue for Indonesia’s House of Representatives. Despite not attending, the names of many legislators were still recorded on attendance lists.

Though the purpose of implementing the biometric system is to minimize truancy, one of member of Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (FITRA), an autonomous, non-profit organization, that promotes good governance, doubts that the measure will work.

“The fingerprint scanner will do little to boost lawmaker performance,” said Uchok Sky Khadafi, FITRA coordinator. “The problem is with their integrity and self-discipline.”

Other than using a biometric system to track lawmaker attendance, what do you think would be the best solution for the Indonesian House of Representatives’ problem?

Article Topics

biometrics  |  fingerprint scanner  |  government  |  government purchasing  |  workforce management